This morning I began my walk at the bottom of Durlston Road, taking in the fresh ground flora which now abounds throughout Sunnydale. In just the past week or so, the Cow Parsley has grown tall and is now topped by little florets of white flowers. It’s fern-like leaves are not to be confused with that of Herb Robert which are less feathery and scattered with pink flowers.
Fresh spikes of Wood Dock and Lords and Ladies, cut up through the vegetation, occasionally alongside it’s poker-shaped flower spike called a spadix. Looking inside, you can see the downward pointing hairs which entrap unwitting insects until they are showered in the plant’s pollen.
Below, a carpet of heart-shaped leaves where Celandine has spread to cover the ground. This is interspersed with swathes of Ground Elder, the odd patch of planted Sweet Woodruff, and of course the Wild Garlic; now just beginning to bloom.
The display of Bluebells has just about reached it’s prime, with some pink specimens to be found in the Oak Glade. Unfortunately, most of them are the Spanish or Hybrid variety, rather than our native English Bluebell.
Wandering up along the dry stone wall to the rear of the play trail, I find some well-defined Roe Deer tracks; the small two-toed print sunken into the soft mud. Here, the understorey more barren, and ground covered with a scattering of Holm Oak leaves, Beech flowers, and Blackthorn petals.
Many spikes of Horsetails have appeared, and both Male Fern and Harts Tongue Fern are unfurling new fronds. They appear like little periscopes poking up from the centre of each plant.
Above the playful tunes of both Great Tit and Chaffinch, there’s a commotion which breaks out in the skies above. It’s hard to make out the birds involved through the canopy, but I see a couple of bickering Crows, and hear a screeching Jay and another interruption from some kind of bird of prey.